California Tribes Unveil Plans for Reclaimed Coastal Land

A 136-acre stretch of California coastline in Mendocino County, recently returned to Indigenous tribes, is slated to become a site for cultural ceremonies and educational initiatives focused on traditional living practices. The land, which includes Blues Beach and an ancient village site known as K’etim, was transferred by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to Kai Poma, a tribal nonprofit representing the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Round Valley Indian Tribes, and Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.

Plans for the newly reclaimed ancestral land center on protecting the natural habitat and teaching younger tribal members about harvesting native foods, fishing, and other traditional practices, according to Eddie Knight, chairman of Kai Poma and historic preservation officer for the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians. "It's going to take a little time, but we do have a plan," Knight told Mongabay.

The agreement stipulates that the shoreline must remain open to the public without admission fees. Commercial development is also prohibited. Should Kai Poma fail to maintain the site or cease to exist, the land will revert to Caltrans.

The Coastal Yuki tribe considers the area an ancient village site with significant cultural and ancestral importance. The tribe's efforts to regain control of the land began in 2005 when members discovered that the site was being disturbed by grave robbers and off-road vehicle drivers, leading to the pillaging of artifacts and the unearthing of human remains.

Caltrans's initial resistance to the tribe's requests for the land spanned several years. However, state Senate leader Mike McGuire was instrumental in passing legislation in 2021 that allowed the highway authority to transfer the land to the tribes at no cost. "It's enormous from our tribal perspective that we are basically obtaining the land that our people once lived on before colonization," J. Carlos Rivera, tribal chairman of the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, told the Los Angeles Times.

California originally acquired the coastal property and cliffs in the 1960s to facilitate the expansion of Highway 1 and to create a scenic overlook for travelers, according to a report from the California Coastal Commission. The final regulatory approval for the land transfer from Caltrans to Kai Poma was granted by the California Transportation Commission on June 26, marking the first time agency-managed land has been returned to an Indigenous tribe.